Screen, shade, and the like.



A. C. HOUGH. SCREEN, SHADE, AND THE LiKE. APPLICATION mgo ee. 10. I917.

Patented Aug. 21, 1917.

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AZEL CLARENCE I-IOUGH, OF JANESV'ILLE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO HOUGHSHADE CORPORATION, OF JANESVILLE, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OFCONNECTICUT.

sonnnn, SHADE, AND THE LIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Au 321, 1917.

Application filed. February 10, 1917. Serial No. 147,790.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AZEL CLARENCE IIoUeir, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and resident of Janesville, county of Rock, and State ofWisconsin, have invented an Improvement in Screens, Shades, and thelike, of which the following description, in connection with theaccompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawingsrepresenting like parts.

Mypresent invention relates to the manufacture of screens, shades, andthe like, having a construction permitting ventilation therethrough andconstitutes a, divisional application of my prior application, Ser. no,87,354, filed March 28, 1916; In said prior application I haveillustrated my novel ventilating screen and have claimed the same'broadly, and in the presentapplication I describe, illustrate and claimmodifications' of ventilating constructions, which may be employed inwoven screens, shades or the like. The advantages and importance of aventilating screen, or a screen or shade having a ventilating portion orportions, will be readily appreciated, and are described in my saidprior application. Such a ventilatingysection in a woven screen musthave suitable provision for securing the spaced relation between theslats forming the screen and the warp strands or cords holding themtogether, while also retaining the warp strands or cords interlaced withsuflicient tension to hold, tightly, the slats and prevent endeh'ase ordisplacement of theslats. In my said prior application, of which thepresent is a divisional and a continuation, Ihave shown two methodswhich are practical, one thetwisting of the warp strands or cordsbetween" adjacent'slats to space the same and yet to hold said slatsfirmly engaged and interlaced by thewarp strands, which form is claimedboth broadly and specifically in said prior case;and the construction.of the ventilating section formed of relatively thick slats, so'that,although the warp cords are woven tightly thereabout, the length'of thecords between adjacent slats, owing to said thickness, will permit aseparation of the slats when. the

shade is suspended and in use. In the present application I intend toclaim the latter construction of thick slats and other modifications ofventilating shade-constructions. For example, said slats may beofeonsiderable weight so as to separate when suspended,- or may beheldspaced by short sleeves, buttons or the like. All such devices, it willbe understood, must permit the shade to be readily wound, withstandrough handling, wind pressure, etc, and yet embody a woven fabricstructure. Further modifications will also readily occur to thoseskilled in the art, and therefore I do not intend to be limitedspecifically to the details herein shown, but believe that I am entitledto claim equivalent constructions, as defined by the appended claims.

In the actual. manufacture of woven screens or shades having a i'entilating por tion, I find it desirable to employ relatively broadslats for the non-ventilating portion and comparatively narrow slats forthe ventilating portion or portions. This combination of broad slats forone section and narrow for the spaced portions, affording specialfeatures and advantages in a woven fabric of this kind, and I thereforewish to claim this particular combination as a feature of my wovenscreen combining ventilating and non-ventilating sections.

Further features of the invention, details of construction, and'novelcombinations of parts will be hereinafter more fully pointed out andclaimed.

Figure l is a side view of a portion of my ventilating screen showingseveral modifications of ventilating constructions, in combinationwith anon-ventilating section of the screen;

Fig. 2 is a view in cross section along the line 22 of Fig. 1, and'Fig.3 is an enlarged cross sectional view showing one method of separatingthe ventilating slats in detail.

I It' will be understood that the drawings are illustrative merely, anddo not purport to show an actual commercial ventilating screen with thedifferent methods of securing ventilating, nor the respective positionsthroughout the screen, of the ventilating section. In actual practice itwill be customary to havedonly one type of ventilating construction inthe same screen and it will also be probably customary'to provide suchventilating section either at the extreme top portion or nearthe extremebottom portion,

or at or near both top and bottom of the screen. Such arrangementenables the nonyentilating screen portion to constitute the greater areaand the ventilating portions,at

the extreme top or theextreme bottom or at both top and bottom, will bein the respective positions for best'service 1n admlttmg air currents topass therethrough, while also in position to be unobjectionable inadmitting the suns rays. 5

Referring to the drawings, my invention comprises a shade" or screenhaving a plurality of transverse slats 1, preferably of wood, fiber orthe like, and of substantial width, held in a flexible yetfirm and rigidmanner by a tightly woven series of warp cords or strands 2 and 3tightly. interlaced .thereabout at spacedintervals throughout the lengthof the slats. Retaining strips 4 and 5strengthen the screen at the toporat suitable intervals and also serve to bind the warp cords firmly andprevent loosening of the same, while permitting flexibility throughoutthe entire fabric structure to allow it to be rolled up.

The ventilating portion or portions preferably comprise a plurality v ofrelatively narrow slats which may be of different sizes in crosssection, or of different weight, as will be explained. In the particularform of ventilating section illustrated by the slat members 6, 7 and 8,the said members are relatively thick, being nearly square in crosssection, or at least sufiiciently thick so that the length of the warpcords 2 and 3, as the same are interlaced during the weaving in theprocess of manufacture of the entire screen fabric, provide such alength of cord extendingscrosswise between the adjacent slat members asto permit sufiicient stretch or yield,-no matter how tightly beaten upthe slats and tightly woventhe warp strands may be, as to permit a substantial separation of the slat members when the screen is suspended orthe fabric stretched out. A similar construction is shown in therelatively thick slat members 9 and 10 showing how the warp'cords 2 and3 will necessarily permit a substantialspacing or separation of adjacentthick slats, thus providing ventilating spaces between them. In theparticular form shown in the slats 6, 7 and 8, however, I prefer toaffix a separating element, which will hold these slats in apredeterminedspaced position,

while still permitting the flexibility and rolling'capacity of theentire screen and also tightly binding the warp cords about theslatmembers so asto hold them firmly and prevent the slats froinbecomingloose, thus eliminating end chase. Such binding and spacing members areshown at 11, 12,13 and 1a, being illustrated in enlarged view in Fig. 3.These members are claspedor otherwise aflixed about the warp strands 2and 3 between these slats and thereby serve to hold the same in an exactspacedrelation, as well as holding the fabric firmly and retaining allthe slats in proper alinement.

{a spacin These spacing and retaining members may be of any suitablematerial, and are preferably made as small rings or sleeves of metal,celluloid, fiber or fabric, clasped about and firmly binding the warpcords. In this construction, the ventilating slats, whether wide ornarrow, are held as firmly spaced from each other as in the method shownin my prior application, wherein the warp strands are firmly twistedabout each other one or more times between adjacent slats toconstitute-a ventilating section, both constructions being adapted tothe woven type of screen and retaining the flexibility of the fabric, together with a spacing of the slats wherever desired to affordventilation. In the form illustrated with the slats 9 and 10 the spacingis secured through suspension of the fabric when in use, by theseparation of the slats owing to the relative thickness thereof,identically as shown in the modifications of Figs. 5 and 6 in my priorapplication, Ser. No.'87,35 l. a y H i I A further modification ofventilating construction is illustrated in the arrangement of slatmembers 15, 16 and 17, which slat members may be either of the samethickness as the non-ventilating members 1, or

of greaterthickness, such as that of the slat members 6 to 10. Theseslats 15, 16 and 17, however, depend upon their weight to secure oropening when the screen is suspended and in use in order to attain theventilating desired. It will be readily appreciated that a suitableincreased weight in the slats will cause the spacing, as well as anincreased thickness and although this particular modification isscarcely feasible, because it is important to have the entire screen ofrelatively light weight, yet I intend the scope of certain of theappended claims to cover this form also. At any point desired throughoutthe extent of the fabric, I may apply reinforcing strips or members 20,20, similar .to the members 4 and 5, which will aid in binding the warpcords 2 and 3 and prevent the working or loosening of the warp strandsthroughout their length.

While I have shown the spacing and bind- .ing sleeves or members 12, 13and 14 in position. about the relatively thick slats 6, 7

and 8, it will be appreciated that these spacing members may be utilizedbetween slats of equal thickness to that of the main slat members 1, inwhich instance the entire fabric-could be made of the same sized slats,so far as thickness is concerned.

The various modifications herein described, while not as efficient anddesirable as the method of twisting the warp strands, are neverthelessvequivalent constructions in so far as the broad idea of securing aventilating portion in a woven screen is concerned, and therefore maybeconsidered as coming under the broader claims of said prior application.

p Also the particular feature of having the relatively broad slats forthe non-ventilating portion and the narrow slats, irrespective of theirthickness or weight, for the ventilating portion, has proven to be afeature of particular importance in the construction of a'vcntilatingscreen and although shown in my said prior application, itis hereby elected .to claim the same in the present case.

My invention is further describedand defined in the form of claims asfollows.

1. A woven screen of the kind described,

=3 comprising a plurality of transverse slats closely held together bywoven warpstrands, in combination with a plurality of v the screen.

2. A woven screen of the kind described, comprising a plurality oftransverse slats closely held together by woven warp-strands,

in combination with a plurality of trans verse slats of greaterthickness than said closely woven slats held together with the sameweave, whereby thelatter will be spaced from each other when suspended,to provide a ventilating section in the screen.

A Woven screen of the kind described, comprising a ventilating portionand a nonventilating portion, said non ventilating portion consisting inslats held closely to gether by Woven warp strands interlacedthereabout, said ventilating portion having the slats of greaterthickness than those of said non-ventilating portion and so woven bysaid warp strands as to permit the said thick slats to be spaced fromeach other and from the end slat of the non-ventilating portion.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

AZEL CLARENCE HOUGH.

Witnesses:

BOYD C. GARDNER, STEN F. GRAVES.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

